Sweet serial killer
by kely-jo
Summary: "I'm going to ask you one more time Caroline, and I want you to be completely honest with me sweetheart," he said, using his other hand to tuck a wayward curl behind her ear. He leant in, his stubble grazing her cheek and his lips brushing her ear. "Where is Katerina?"
1. Chapter 1

"Maybe if you weren't so snarky all the time, daddy wouldn't kick up such a fuss whenever we're hanging out. I swear, I get more hell for spending time with you, than for the random guys I hook up with," Caroline commented idly, as she made her way back to her room, picking up the knee length ivory dress she left on the edge of her bed. She had bought it last week, to wear especially for this occasion. But she'd woken up this morning feeling like the dawn of a new era mean't a big change. Gone were the days of being captain of the cheer leading squad, student body president, planning high school parties and chairing committees. After today, she'd no longer have to abide by school rules and social conventions and live up to heightened expectations. She could dare to be brave. She had traded her pin straight hair for her naturally curly locks. If only she had something in her wardrobe that screamed 'sophisticated and elegantly stylish, yet daring.' She was so done with being 'safe.'

"My bitchy personality is all part of the allure..." Katherine followed her in, waving her hand theatrically, spirit fingers and all.

Caroline chuckled, shaking her head. "No. You are perfectly capable of being nice. You just enjoy riling daddy and Steven up" she stated, plucking out an emerald green, strapless dress that fell just above her knee. It was sophisticated and stylish. The colour and embroidered fabric was bold. But she still felt boring, like she was just another face in the crowd. She needed to wear something to make her stand out.

"You know, I'm surprised they haven't tried to stake you in your sleep whenever you stay over" Caroline said nonchalantly. Some times the heated conversations turned into outright arguments and Caroline couldn't help but feel scared. Not for herself, but for them. Having a best friend as a vampire and a father as a hunter was not easy to deal with. But Katherine would just roll her eyes and explain 'your daddy's not a real hunter, sweetie... he's just an ignorant, presumptuous human who likes to shoot wooden bullets and drive stakes through creatures he knows nothing about. Creatures who could easily kill him, by the way' she would point out. But after five years, Katherine should have gotten used to Bill Forbes mixing vervain in the fruit punch. And Caroline's dad really should learn to ignore when Katherine bared her fangs at him for fun. There was nothing Caroline could say or do to make them stop provoking each other. So after a while she realised that she'd just have to learn to live with the fact that the two most important people in her life, hated each other.

"The same reason I don't tear their jugulars out and drain them dry" Katherine muttered. After a scathing look from Caroline, "mutual respect and our mutual interest in you being happy," Katherine explained, giving her a sweet smile.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Can you like, be less of a Bram Stroker character and more of my best friend right now, and help me figure out what to wear?" The emerald dress joined the ivory dress on the carpeted floor, as Caroline continued to paw through her closet. Considering all the events she'd attended over the years, and all the back up dresses she'd never gotten a chance to wear, it was becoming increasingly frustrating that nothing seemed to suit her tastes. It was like she woke up this morning a whole new person. Which she kind of was. After today high school would be done... she would be a college girl attending NYU on a literary scholarship. Not that her dad couldn't afford to send her there, but being granted a scholarship mean't that Caroline was doing it on her own. It was whole new level of independence. She couldn't help but feel like this was a new beginning... she would finally become the person she was mean't to be.

"Oh sweetie, Dracula's got nothing on me" Katherine said, staring at herself intently in the mirror, fixing her hair.

"Seriously?!" Caroline said, turning around, folding her arms and looking a Katherine for the first time since she showed up at the door. Bill had let Katherine in, but Caroline had been so busy intervening in their building argument, intent on preventing it from escalating to death threats that she hadn't really looked at her best friend. Katherine looked amazing as usual. Her signature long curly raven hair caught in an intricate braid. She was wearing a tight, knee length, black, strapless dress, that Caroline was sure accentuated all of Katherine's assets in what would be in an almost indecent way, but for... "Are you wearing a blazer?" Caroline practically screeched, disbelief colouring her tone.

Katherine smirked. "I decided to class it up for your high school graduation. Besides, you'd be lucky if I'm wearing anything by the end of the night, considering that top notch party you got planned. Does your daddy know you invited college guys?"

"Ssshhh" Caroline said, looking out her door, which her dad told her to keep open at all times. "They're just some people I met at that alumni event I got invited to attend, last week. And I didn't just invite guys. I invited some girls too. You know, in the interests of broadening my social circle" she hastily explained.

"You look gorgeous by the way" Caroline complimented, hoping to steer the conversation to topics that would not get her grounded for life, if her dad overheard. "Are you going to help me pick a dress or not? Because I honestly have no clue what to wear" she said, tugging on the sash of her bath robe. Caroline chewed on her bottom lip, contemplating reciting her valedictorian speech one more time. Maybe then she'd gather enough will to search through the disappointment known as her wardrobe again.

"Fine... how about this one?" Katherine said, holding out a large black rectangular box with a big blue bow.

Caroline lifted a brow, curious. "You didn't" she said, hesitantly accepting the gift. She had been so consumed in her own thoughts that she hadn't even realised that Katherine was hiding something behind her back all the time. No wonder Katherine didn't perch on the vanity like she usually did.

"I did" Katherine said, nodding, looking on intently as Caroline took off the bow and opened the box.

Inside was a dark blue, long sleeved, knee length, form fitting dress. There was a thin strip of lace running down both sides, where her skin would show. Caroline decided to wear a nude coloured thong and bra set with thin flat straps, that could hide under the patterns of lace, creating the allusion that she wasn't wearing any underwear. Caroline giggled. The dress was perfect. It was classy and stylish, yet daring and sexy. "Oh my God, Kat. It's... perfect. I love it! Oh my God... thank you! Thank you!" she said, resisting the urge to jump up and down. Caroline became overcome with emotion. She gave her friend a tight hug, bright smile on her face, before dashing off behind the room divider to get changed.

"You're a nervous wreck Caroline. Calm down."

"I'm not nervous" Caroline answered automatically, tossing her robe aside and shimmying on her new dress.

"Your heart's beating faster than a hummingbird's wings. You're seconds away from giving yourself a panic attack."

"It's called being pleasantly surprised or even excited" Caroline replied cheekily, stepping around the divider. She took a long look of herself in the floor length mirror. The dress outlined her curves in a flattering and tasteful way. Deciding on strappy nude coloured stilettos, she made her way to the shoe cupboard.

"Caroline honey, are you ready?" Bill Forbes asked, standing at the threshold of his daughter's bedroom.

He frowned, before giving Caroline a disapproving look. "Wasn't the dress you bought last week, white?"

"Yeah... urmm... Ivory," Caroline hesitated, looking between her dad and Katherine.

"I bought Caroline a graduation gift" Katherine said, by way of explanation. "Doesn't she look stunning, Bill?"

"She always looks stunning, she's a beautiful girl" Bill complimented, making Caroline blush. "But Caroline knows better than to accept gifts from..."

"From her best friend?" Katherine said, cutting him off. "Really Bill?" She rolled her eyes. "I can assure you that I bought that dress with my own money."

When Bill shot her a disbelieving look... "if you must know, I've acquired quite a vast fortune in the over five hundred years I've been roaming the earth" Katherine explained, haughtily. But he looked unconvinced.

"Please daddy... this is the perfect dress. I really like it. And Kat was really thoughtful to have gotten a graduation present for me" Caroline said with a flurry, pouting and giving her dad puppy dog eyes.

Bill sighed exasperatedly. "All right... but this is a one time thing" he stated seriously.

Caroline squealed in delight. But Katherine huffed, clearly annoyed. "I'm going to wait outside" she muttered. "And spare me the sentimental bullshit, will you?" she said, looking pointedly at Bill.

"How about you go downstairs and wait for us?" Bill said encouragingly. "You can take a slow walk across the street or just stand in front of a bus. I'm sure the impact won't permanently kill you but..."

"Daddy!" Caroline protested.

"Hardy har har" Katherine said. "You're so funny, Bill. Hilarious. It's definitely you're quick wit and sense of humour that's been keeping you alive."

"Kat!" Caroline nearly screeched.

"Shoes. The black pumps with the gold heels. I'll be right outside..." Katherine said, giving Caroline an innocent smile.

Bill stepped aside, allowing Katherine to pass. As he entered the room, he took out a small black box from inside his jacket pocket. "I have a present for you too. Well it's actually from your grandmother..."

"Grandma's here?" Caroline asked excitedly.

"No she's not here. But she sent this over" Bill said, giving Caroline the small box, which she readily accepted. "These are family heirlooms" he explained, while Caroline looked at the earrings and matching ring in awe.

"Please tell me these are blue topaz?" Caroline asked, inspecting the three tier earrings. It was delicate, yet extravagant. Each stone seemed perfectly oval, but the way it caught in the light shone a blazing dark blue. The vintage style ring looked like an engagement ring, a simple band with a large dark blue stone in a marquise cut.

Bill chuckled. "I'm sorry Carebear... they're blue diamonds set in gold. And they're yours now so..."

The initial shock wore over and Caroline giggled. "Thank you daddy" she said, giving him a hug. He reciprocated, holding on to her tightly.

"I'm really proud of you Caroline" Bill said sincerely, "you're the best daughter I could of ever hoped to have."

"Thanks daddy" Caroline said, on the brink of tears. She sniffed.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Bill asked, looking at her worriedly.

"I'm just so happy" Caroline said, laughing shakily. "You're here. And Kat's here. And grandma passed down the crown jewels. And I'm graduating high school. I'm going to attend NYU dad. Everything is just... happening so fast."

"Steven's really sorry he couldn't be here, but he promised to make it up to you as soon as he gets back" Bill said, reassuringly.

"It's okay dad, really. I mean I really wanted him to be here today but Steven's been a really great parent to me so that's all any girl could ask for, right?" Caroline's voice sounded bitter even to her own ears and she tried to shake off her irrational mood change. Bill frowned, noticing her distress. She made her way across the room, sitting on the vanity stool, she bent down to put on her shoes, which matched perfectly with her dress and old new earrings and ring.

"Caroline your mom..."

"Doesn't even care" Caroline cut him off. "I've never needed her. And I'm not a little girl any more. I'm not going to start needing her now," Caroline said resolutely, shaking her head.

Bill looked at his daughter for a long minute. "You're always going to be my little girl" he stated, matter of factly. His voice sounded sad. Caroline looked up, but before she could say anything...

"Do I need to compel you two to hurry it along... we're going to be late" Katherine's voice bellowed from the hall, irritation colouring her tone. Katherine's statement served to make Caroline giggle, effectively lifting the mood. Even Bill chuckled.

Caroline got up, taking one last look of herself in the floor length mirror and gathering her black clutch, her speech and her cell phone, she led the way out with a smile plastered on her face.


	2. Chapter 2

Caroline looked down at the sea of faces, staring at her, listening to her intently. Most of her fellow classmates already had their paths laid out before them. Others dared to endeavour to become something more. She could almost feel their anxiety. Their fear was palpable. Caroline felt it too. But beneath the nerves was an overwhelming sense of excitement, entitlement and hopefulness by the endless possibilities that the future held. There would still be expectations for New York's finest middle class, but they were no longer children in the strictest sense. They no longer had to do what they were told, when they were told to. They all had an opinion and after today, they had a chance to make their opinion count for something.

"Here's to the dawn of a new beginning..." Caroline's voice rang out loud, clear and confident, "we are the new generation... the generation of success. Our time is now and we will prevail."

As blue graduation caps flitted through the air, the atmosphere shifted from quiet calculation and reflection to cheerful exuberance. Caroline scanned the crowd as she made her way off the stage, finding her dad making his way to the courtyard. But Katherine was no where around. Caroline frowned. Hands clasped hers and arms wrapped around her for hugs as she made her way through the crowd, exchanging congratulations as she passed by, signing year books that were proffered. Being the chief editor of the yearbook this year, she prided herself on how well it turned out. Caroline had her year book signed since the last week of school, knowing that she wouldn't have time to do so now.

"I'll see you at the party later" someone called out.

"Great speech Caroline" another person congratulated her.

Caroline barely registered who was saying what to her, but she kept a smile plastered on her face and was polite and courteous to everyone. Now was not the time for her mean girl, queen bee persona to shine through. She had spent most of high school exerting power over everyone. But one day everyone here would become some one important and she'd like to have those connections available to her in the future. She had a literary passion, but had every interest in becoming a business woman one day. There was so much she wanted to accomplish in her lifetime, ranging from saving the Amazonia to aiding Ugandan refugees. Just because she didn't have to climb up the social ladder, mean she'd settle and not try to better herself and make the world a better place. Caroline chuckled at her sheer ludicracy. If anyone took a look inside her head, they'd probably scoff at her big seemingly unrealistic dreams. But wasn't the whole point of daring to dream, to aim for the moon and if you fail, you'd fall amongst the stars?

"Caroline" an all too familiar voice garnered her full attention. She turned around and barely had time to register his handsome face before being pulled into a warm embrace. He buried his face into her curls and breathed her in.

"Tyler" she said, holding on to him tightly. "What are you doing here?" Caroline asked, disbelievingly.

As he pulled away, she looked at him intently. Tyler and Caroline were friends since childhood, but when her parents divorced and Caroline came to live with her dad and Steven in New York, when she was eight years old, Tyler made sure to keep in touch. But she only saw him once a year, every summer holiday he would visit. But Caroline hadn't seen him in over two years. Not since the accident when Tyler had activated his werewolf gene. Caroline had been so angry at the time, when he had told her that it was safer if he stayed far away. She had told him that she never wanted to see him or speak to him ever again. But now, standing in front of him, wrapped up in his arms, Caroline couldn't help the huge smile on her face. She was happy to see him. Tyler looked good. He used to be gangly, but now he was taller, built but not too bulky. His body was lean. She remembered him shaggy, but now he had a clean cut. In his long sleeved shirt and dress pants and shoes, Tyler looked like a grown up. But his dark brown eyes were still bright and shining with boyish curiosity.

"Well your mom told my mom. You didn't think I'd miss your graduation did you?" Tyler asked, looking at her incredulously. "The new era you've been waiting your whole life for?" he said, smiling. Caroline giggled, choosing to ignore the fact that her mom did remember today was her graduation but simply decided to not attend.

"You look good Care. You look beautiful" Tyler said, giving her the once over. "I'm sorry I didn't hear your speech though... I just got here. But you'll recite it for me later right?"

Caroline blushed at his compliment. "Sure" she said, glad that he was here to stay, if only for a little while. Even after all this time, they were still friends, and Caroline now realised how much she had missed him. There was so much she wanted to know, but refrained from bombarding him with questions. There would be time for that later. "Come say hi to my dad" she said, taking his hand in hers and pulling him along, "oh and Katherine's here." Noticing Tyler tense up at the mention of Katherine, "please be nice" Caroline pleaded.

Tyler nodded and visibly relaxed, "Of course Care, I wouldn't want to ruin your perfect day" he said reassuringly, giving her another bright smile.

* * *

><p>Caroline hadn't always lived here, in this upper east side Manhattan apartment. She remembered those first few months when she and her dad had shared Steven's two bedroom basement apartment in lower west side. Steven home schooled her. She had cereal for breakfast, pizza for lunch, chicken sticks and fries for dinner, almost every day. When her parents were divorcing Bill had hired the best lawyers and fought for custody, leaving the Mystic Falls house and their large cabin by the woods, to Liz. 'We're starting over Carebear' her dad had said, 'we're leaving that small town behind and making the best of New York all right.' Even at eight years old Caroline had never been afraid of the huge life change. She used to miss her mom a lot and her old house and her friends. But then she realised that her mom was never home anyway, and that old house was just a place. She lost touch with her friends, except Tyler. In a few short months, Bill's business started booming and Steven was offered a job as the chief journalist at one of the top news broadcasting networks in the city. They moved into this apartment and at age nine she started attending one of the best middle schools in New York. And it all went up from there...<p>

"The place looks good Care" Tyler said, standing by the threshold and looking in. Caroline nodded in agreement. The apartment did look good. She had completely transformed the place to have a clubbing vibe, sophisticated yet fun, with dimmed blue lighting at the bar and blue and green pulsing strobe neon lights across the make shift dance floor. Pertaining to the under age drinking and taking drugs, Caroline really didn't dabble too much. It would be the worst case scenario if things got out of control, or if someone got hurt and the police had to be called. That would be major embarrassment for her dad and Steven. But just for tonight, she'd have a drink with her friends. And after laying down some really strict rules, she trusted that no one would be overdosing tonight. Not here anyway, not before she kicked them out. Caroline scanned the room for any sign of Katherine. Bill had already left to spend the weekend at grandma's house.

"I don't see Kat, she's probably not back yet" Caroline said, turning to Tyler, who should be by her side. Except he wasn't. He was still standing by the door, looking at her a bit unsure. "Why are you just standing there?" Caroline asked rhetorically. "Come on in" she took his hand and pulled him inside. With a smile, Tyler obliged.

"Hey, you want to dance" a guy from her class asked. He was clearly inebriated already, so Caroline politely declined. Some couples were making out. Some people were drowning shots. She led the way through the apartment, picking up two glasses of vodka and cranberry juice on her way to her bedroom, with Tyler closely following.

"Wow" he said, taking a good look around her room. "If I knew this is what to expect from grown up Caroline Forbes, I wouldn't have put so much effort in getting over my aversion to pink" he said with a chuckle, running his hand across the green coral fleece bedding.

"Two years is a long time Tyler" Caroline commented idly. She offered him a glass, which he readily accepted. Placing her glass on the vanity, before checking her make up in the mirror. She glanced at him in the mirror, he was frowning at her comment.

"It wasn't safe to keep in contact Care" Tyler said softly, his gaze catching hers in the mirror. "You and my mom..." he hesitated. "I couldn't risk putting you in danger because of what I am" he explained.

Caroline turned around and looked at him. He made his way over, to stand in front of her, and his movement reminded her of a predator stalking his prey. For the first time, his close proximity unnerved her. There was something about him that reminded her of the first time she met Katherine. Something that made her instincts scream danger, but in her heart she knew that Tyler would never hurt her. It was the first time she had seen him since he activated his werewolf gene, and it was hard for Caroline to correlate the Tyler she knew to this Tyler who turned into a large furry creature every full moon. "It's safe for you to be here now?" she asked tentatively.

"Yeah" he said, flashing her a bright smile. "I'm never going to have to worry about hurting you Care. I'm in control now."

"How? How can you be so sure?" she asked, taken aback by his sudden mood change. Tyler had explained to her exactly how dangerous a werewolf could be to a human, that werewolves were creatures entirely out of control, so much so that he would never risk seeing her again. I mean, he was gone for two years. But now he was here, saying that he was in control. It didn't make sense, and Caroline had a hard time believing him.

Tyler shook his head, as if trying to shake away her doubts. He lifted his glass to take a drink, but stopped when the rim of his glass met his bottom lip. "There's vervain in this" he stated, putting his glass on the dressing table next to hers.

"Yeah, daddy cured vervain in all the stocks like a week ago." Caroline rolled her eyes. "That's probably where Kat went, to get some vervain free liqueur." Caroline was still a bit miffed that Katherine had left in the middle of the graduation ceremony. But was even more disappointed that Bill had baited Katherine so unnecessarily. While Caroline had been giving her heart felt valedictorian speech, two of the most important people in her life, were having another childish argument.

Tyler's eyes darkened at the mention of Katherine. Caroline looked at Tyler curiously. She didn't know much about the supernatural world, merely glossing over the basics. But she did know that vervain was to vampires what wolfsbane was to werewolves. Why would Tyler have a problem with drinking vervain?

After a moment, "what are you not telling me?" she asked worriedly, her tone a tad bit accusatory.

"I'll explain everything" he said, running the back of his hand across her cheek, soothingly. "But first, I want you to meet two of my friends," he said, looking at her expectantly.

"Okay" Caroline nodded, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Good" Tyler said, before placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.


	3. Chapter 3

Caroline never pegged herself as naive. Sure, she was innocent enough. Though having far fetched dreams, she was practical and reasonable. She enjoyed planning ahead and preparing for what comes next. As much as she wished to be as spontaneous and fun loving as Katherine, as brave and adventurous as Tyler, as determined as her dad and passionate as Steven, Caroline liked to think she was in control of her own destiny. And the only way to be in control was to know what to expect. But now, as she stood hand in hand with one of the four people in the world whom she trusted, Caroline couldn't remember a time she ever felt so uncertain about anything. Caroline didn't like secrets, and Tyler wasn't one to keep secrets from her, so as he pushed open the door to what must have once been an asylum, and motioned for her to enter, Caroline decided to take a chance.

Under normal circumstances, she would have asked about a dozen questions by now. But Caroline's apprehension was making her silent. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest. And when Tyler rubbed soothing circles on the back on her hand with his thumb, she knew that he somehow could hear her heart beating loud and faster than it should. Caroline allowed him to lead her through the dark abandoned building. It was bathed in the moon light giving it an eerie glow. As they made their way through the hall, they passed by rooms, or rather wards, a involuntary shiver ran down her spine. The further they got, the air was becoming thicker, harder to breathe. Caroline didn't like the smell, but she took deep calming breaths and carried onwards.

Then a shrill blood curdling scream pierced the air, reverberating around the rooms. Caroline gasped in horror, immediately pulling her hand out of Tyler's and wrapping her arms around herself. She made haste to turn around and leave, but before she had time to react two men seemed to appear out of no where. Her knees buckled beneath her, but strong arms wrapped around her torso, pulling her safely against his chest. She felt his warm breath by her air, whispering assurances to not be afraid and that everything was okay.

Never taking her eyes off the strange men, "Tyler" she said, voice barely a whisper, but hoping he could hear the warning in it nevertheless "they're vampires, like Kat."

One of the men cocked his head to the side, looking at her curiously. Caroline noted the dark circles around his deep green eyes. The spidery veins under his eyes were undulating. His mouth was bloody and he gave her a menacing smile. She swallowed her fear when she noticed his bloody hands. Her vision blurred and she knew it was from the tears that filled her eyes, when the man lifted his hand to his mouth and sucked off the blood from his fingers, one by one. "Are you going to kill me?" she asked, her voice childlike, sounding weak and vulnerable even to her own ears.

"No" Tyler said, surprise colouring his tone. Suddenly he was standing before her, between her and the men. Tyler gently cradled her face in his hands and Caroline tried to remember that this was Tyler, her childhood friend. "No, they're not going to hurt you" Tyler said softly, shaking his head, hoping to reassure her. His thumbs brushing away the tears that had escaped.

"I must apologise for my friend Stefan" a smooth accented voice captured Caroline's attention. "A bit of blood lust has him in a haze" the man explained. She looked over Tyler's shoulder, matching the alluring voice to the other man. Tyler stepped aside, but kept one of her hands firmly in his. The man looked calm, in perfect control of himself, but there was a powerful energy radiating off him, rippling in waves. He had an air of superiority, a quiet confidence. Caroline took an involuntary step back. The man smirked.

"Allow me to introduce myself," he said, moving closer. Caroline had to use all her strength to not step back again. "My name is Klaus," he said, proffering his hand. She looked to Tyler who was staring daggers at Stefan, before hesitantly putting her shaking hand in Klaus'. "You must be the lovely Caroline we've heard so much about" he commented, his voice taking a seductive lilt. He lifted her hand in his, to place a chaste kiss on the back of her hand. The moment his soft lips were no longer on her skin, she pulled her hand away as if burned.

"Don't be afraid sweetheart, we won't hurt you" Klaus practically purred.

"I'm not afraid" Caroline said instantly, shaking her head, grateful to have finally found her voice again. Her tone was sharp, forceful, resolute. "What are you?" she asked, curiosity making her brave. She had a gut feeling that Klaus was more than just a vampire. Klaus' hand was warm, like Tyler's.

Klaus frowned, looking at her interestedly. "You're so much more than a pretty face, aren't you?" he said, giving her a knowing smile.

Caroline felt Tyler bristle, his hold on her hand tightening. "You said you wouldn't hurt her" Tyler said, through clenched teeth. He angled his body protectively infront of her.

Klaus shared another look with Tyler, before giving her his full attention. "Where is Katerina, Caroline?" Klaus asked politely.

"I don't know" Caroline muttered, trying to ignore that way her name rolled off his tongue. She knew that Klaus was asking about Katherine and she cursed herself for not taking a sip of her drink earlier. Without the vervain in her system, these vampires could easily compel her to do anything they wanted her to do.

"What tales have Katerina told you?" Klaus asked.

"Enough for me to not be completely oblivious" Caroline replied smartly.

"You know about vampires. You know about werewolves. You know that I'm something more" Klaus listed, looking at her intently.

"I'm perceptive like that..." Caroline retorted, unable to get a handle on her wit.

In an instant the wind got knocked out of her, as Caroline's back made contact with the concrete wall, one hand wrapped tightly around her neck. She vaguely heard Tyler protest, but there was white noise, a ringing inside her head. She felt something warm trickling down the back of her neck. Klaus' face mere inches away from hers. She could see the black spidery web of veins under his eyes that were a beautiful shade of sea blue, but for the specks of gold that tinged his irises. Taking in his features, she decided that he was sort of beautiful.

"I have a brother who's very fond of pretty little things with sharp tongues," Klaus commented idly. Caroline realised that despite Klaus' seemingly calm demeanour before, he was internally raging, on the brink of control. "I'm going to ask you one more time Caroline, and I want you to be completely honest with me sweetheart," he said, using his other hand to tuck a wayward curl behind her ear. He leant in, his stubble grazing her cheek and his lips brushing her ear. "Where is Katerina?"

Silent tears streamed down Caroline's face as the reality of the situation she found herself in fully sunk in. Klaus was hurting her. Caroline was struggling to breathe. And she'd probably be tortured even though she honestly didn't know where Katherine was. Maybe Katherine knew that Klaus was after her and she had gotten away when she had the chance to. Katherine was safe. And Caroline would have been safe too, enjoying her party, if she hadn't followed Tyler blindly, to the middle of no where. 'How could she have been so stupid?' Caroline mentally berated herself.

Caroline felt before she heard a low growl rumbling deep in Klaus' chest. He looked at her angrily, no doubt because of her lack of response. "Katherine's my friend" Caroline stated softly, but with as much conviction as she could muster, "I'll never tell you where she is."

Klaus' grip on her neck loosened and he looked at Caroline with the oddest expression, as though she were a puzzle he was trying to figure out. His expression softened and his vampire features disappeared. But before she could catch a breath or take the time to decipher the meaning behind his behaviour, several things happened all at once as if time was moving in slow motion.

Stefan's neck was snapped.

Klaus was flashed away.

Tyler's body dropped to the floor, his heart in Katherine's hand.

Katherine dropped Tyler's heart to the ground with a loud thud.

Caroline felt the ground shaking and heard whimpering noises. Katherine approached her, as one would corner a wounded animal. "It's okay Caroline" Katherine said softly, "you're safe now."

It took Caroline far too long to realise that she was shaking, as though tremors were racking her body. The low whimpering noises had turned into keening sounds and Caroline realised that she was crying. "You killed Tyler" she spat out, gasping for breath. "No. No, no, no, no" Caroline said, shaking her head. No Tyler couldn't be dead. But there he lay with a hole in his chest and his heart a few feet away from his body.

Katherine grabbed Caroline's upper arms, giving her a shake. "Listen to me, Caroline" she said firmly, trying to catch Caroline in her gaze. "We need to leave, now."

"I'm not going any where with you" Caroline said petulantly, trying to pull away. But Katherine was too strong.

"Caroline, listen to me" Katherine pleaded, "listen to me dammit."

Katherine's voice took a desperate edge, as though she was genuinely scared. And it was so out of character for Katherine Pierce, the she devil on high heels, that Caroline's head snapped up.

"Klaus is strong" Katherine said. "He's going to come back, so we need to get out of here."

"Where are we going?" Caroline asked, before being whisked away at vampire speed outside the abandoned asylum. Katherine was almost dragging Caroline to a black sports car, when a blur of movement stopped abruptly. Caroline's heart skipped a beat at the sight of a gentleman dressed to the nines in a tailored suit, even though he looked dishevelled.

"Miss Forbes, Katerina" the man in the suit said, by way of greeting. "We must be leaving now."

Katherine didn't miss a step, practically shoving Caroline into the back seat, before biting into her wrist and offering it up.

"What are you doing?" Caroline asked warily.

"You lost a lot of blood, and we can't risk you suffering a concussion, so drink up" Katherine said, placing her wrist near Caroline's mouth.

Head wounds bled the most, so even though Caroline had a pounding headache, she decided not to comply. She didn't want to drink Katherine's blood. Just the thought alone made her stomach turn. But Katherine was having none of it, roughly shoving her wrist against Caroline's mouth.

Taking a few gulps of Katherine's blood, Caroline muttered a sarcastic "thank you."

As soon as Katherine got in the passenger's seat, the man in the suit sped away. Caroline moved to sit directly behind him, leaning against the car door, she rested her face against the cool glass. She knew that Katherine's blood was supposed to be healing her, but suddenly she felt much worse. Caroline looked out the window, they were already in the city. The city had come alive in the night time and Caroline idly wondered what was happening at her party.

A distinct yellow blur caught Caroline's eye and she moved to the middle of the back seat to get a better look. A tall blonde haired woman stood in the middle of the road. The car screeched as the man tried to brake, but he caught a bad angle and the car spun out of control. Katherine's arm shot out to prevent Caroline from flying through the front glass. Caroline lost consciousness, only to awaken to horrible blinding pain. Prying her heavy lids open, Caroline realised she was upside down, body bent at an odd angle. She nearly lost consciousness again, but battled to keep her eyes open.

"Katherine" Caroline mumbled. She turned her head to the side, only to see her friend's lifeless body dangling from the front seat. "Katherine" she said again, but her voice was barely above a whisper. She tried to reach out to Katherine, but Caroline couldn't move. Her vision be came blurred as her eyes filled to the brim with tears, spilling over. A cold feeling washed over her as darkness took over again. But before Caroline lost consciousness, she felt a hand on her arm, pulling her out of the wreckage.

"Katherine..." she whispered one more time, before the world went dark.


	4. Chapter 4

**What is beauty?**

**A DESTROYER**

**What is happiness?**

**A DECEPTION**

**What is love?**

**DEATH**

* * *

><p><em>Caroline drifted, through an endless dark abyss. She felt nothing but an unrelenting inclination to think about the devastating events that had occurred. She knew she should feel afraid, uncertain, angry, mourning. But there was something about this place that screamed serenity and eternal bliss. So she easily ignored her innate thoughts, and simply drifted. 'Am I dead?' Caroline wondered. 'Is this heaven or hell?' she mused. But if she'd learnt anything from that Charmed marathon she and Katherine had watched last week, it was that in heaven, everything was white, shiny gold, and full of angels. Whist hell was dark, gloomy and depressing, full of demons and other deadly, evil creatures. Should she take into consideration that vampires and werewolves fell into the category of evil creatures? Katherine surely wasn't evil. Neither was Tyler. But Klaus and Stefan definitely were. But Caroline guessed that everything wasn't so black and white. They all came with a history, and Caroline was beginning to wonder how much she really knew her best friend, Katherine Pierce.<em>

_As if answering her unspoken questions, the darkness began to dissipate, replaced by a blinding white light. Caroline recognised the form of a small, blonde haired, little girl, in a blue and white polka dot summer dress, with her hair caught in two braids, attached with blue ribbons at the ends, just in time as Caroline was hurtled forward, slamming straight into her eight year old self. She looked up with wide eyes at none other than nine year old James Stevenson who was leading a group of her fellow classmates. He roughly shoved her into a puddle of mud, and Caroline felt her eyes filling to the brim with tears, as her ears filled with the sounds of laughter all around her._

_"My mommy says that you come from a family of freaks, with two daddy's and no mommy. My mommy says that you're going to grow up to be a freak too. You're a little freak aren't you, Carebear" James sneered, his tone mocking._

_"I'm not a freak" Caroline shouted, getting to her feet. "You're just jealous that my two daddy's love me more than your mommy loves you" she said, shaking her fists at him. "I have a mommy. And she's a sheriff. So you better watch yourself, stupid, or I'm going to tell my mommy on you" she threatened._

_James looked like a deer caught in headlights. At the mention of sheriff the crowd nearly disappeared, and realising that he was facing her all alone, he turned around and quickly ran off. Caroline sniffed, scrubbing her eyes, willing the tears to stop, but they wouldn't. Her pretty dress was ruined, and she was covered in mud._

_"That was pretty brave of you" a soft melodic voice came from behind her. Caroline spun around, startled, to face a tall, pretty woman dressed in all black. She had really high heels on. Her hair was long, shiny and super curly._

_"Thanks" Caroline mumbled._

_"If it was me, I would have smacked him silly" the woman said, looking at Caroline intently._

_Caroline sniffed. "Daddy says that if someone hurts your feelings, you can hurt them back, or you can just walk away and be the bigger person."_

_"So what happened to walking away and being the bigger person?" the woman asked, chuckling amusedly._

_Caroline sniffed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I think if someone hurts you, then you gotta hurt them back, so they'll know what it feels like. You got to hurt them worse, so they'll be afraid of ever hurting you again" Caroline explained, a bit sadly. Then she looked up, giving the woman a sheepish smile. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers" she said._

_The woman smiled, bending down until she was almost eye level with Caroline. "My name is Katherine" she said, proffering her hand. "What's your name?" she asked curiously._

_"I'm Caroline. Caroline Forbes" Caroline said, shaking Katherine's hand._

_"Well Caroline, I think you and I are going to be the best of friends" Katherine said, smiling warmly._

Caroline awoke, her heart hammering in her chest. She took a couple deep steadying breaths, trying to get her breathing under control. There was a light throbbing in her head, as the events that led her here flooded her mind. But Caroline wasn't feeling nearly as bad as she should be feeling, after sustaining the injuries she had from the car crash. She assumed that it was Katherine's vampire blood that healed her so effectively. Sitting up, Caroline rested her head on the bed head, looking around the room.

The walls were whitewash, the floorboards bare, and the furniture looked old and outdated. Katherine must have acquired this property with the intention of restoring it. But the feather bed Caroline was lying on was clearly modern, and so were the white fleece sheets, and the the colourful crochet blanket looked awfully familiar. Picking it up and regarding it carefully, Caroline realised that this was the same blanket her grandma helped crochet, which she gave as a gift to Katherine on their very first sleep over. Caroline smiled, surprised that Katherine not only kept it, but used it. Suddenly white noise filled her head. Caroline's eyes became heavy and her eyelids fluttered closed. There was the same blinding white light, but this time the world was spinning.

_Caroline was no longer in this room, but in her childhood bedroom, sitting on her bed, cross legged._

_"I can't believe Bill is actually letting you have a sleep over, with me" Katherine said, walking in with a bowl of chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of alcohol. She hopped on the bed, offering the bowl to Caroline. But she readily declined because it would be hell getting seeds out of her braces._

_"Well you're my best friend" Caroline stated, as if that were a good enough explanation. "I just have to keep my bedroom door open, at all times" she said, using air quotes. She got off the bed, and sorted through the cupboard, until she found it. "Here" she said, giving the wrapped package to Katherine, a bit hesitantly._

_"You got me a present?" Katherine asked sceptically, before unwrapping it. She took out the colourful blanket, intricately crocheted with flower patterns, and studied it intently. "You got me a blanket, for your first sleep over. You're adorable" Katherine said, smiling affectionately._

_Caroline shrugged. "I'm not a child any more. I'm going to be thirteen in a week. I wanted to get you a present, and I told grandma that this was the last knitting session I'd be doing with her so... two birds, one stone" Caroline said, sounding awfully proud of herself._

_"You told your grandma about me?" Katherine asked curiously, looking somewhat taken aback. Before she caught Caroline in a unwavering gaze, and Caroline now noticed that Katherine's pupil's were dilated. "What did you tell your grandmother about me?" Katherine asked._

_"That you're my best friend. That when I grow up, I want to be just like you. Strong and brave" Caroline answered automatically. She frowned, surprised by both Katherine's change in demeanour, as well as her inability to look away._

_Katherine frowned, rubbing the thick fabric between her fingers. "I shouldn't be here... the moment I saw you I should have just..." shaking her head, Katherine sighed, before getting off the bed._

_"Where are you going?" Caroline asked, confused._

_"There's something I need to go do" Katherine said, making her way out._

_"But you just got here" Caroline protested._

_Katherine chuckled, "Thanks for the blanket Care bear. I'll see you later."_

A knock on the door, interrupted Caroline's vision. Shaking her head to reassemble her thoughts, as Caroline was brought back to the present. Katherine had compelled her. Her best friend had compelled her. Caroline's mind was reeling at this new found discovery, so much so that she hadn't even noticed a man enter the room, until he was standing at the end of her bed. It was the same man who was dressed impeccably in a suit. The one who had helped her and Katherine escape from Klaus and Stefan.

"Hello, Miss Forbes" the man greeted her politely. "What did you see?" he asked curiously.

Caroline frowned, running her fingers through her hair. It was dirty, covered in dry mud and blood. "Just Caroline. And you'll excuse me for not wanting to share my memories with a complete stranger" she muttered despondently. "Where's Katherine?" Caroline asked. Katherine had a lot of explaining to do. How dare Katherine compel her? Especially since Caroline had asked Katherine to never do such a thing and Katherine had promised. Had their entire relationship been based on half truths?

"I apologise for being so rude" the man said a bit shamefully. "My name is Elijah Mikaelson" he said with an uncanny air of superiority.

Caroline sighed. She could tell that it was more than a carefully articulated façade, but rather the old world gentlemanly manners, that made Elijah seem so genuine. "I really do need to talk to Katherine, Elijah" Caroline said, her tone nearly pleading. "Where is she?"

Elijah offered her an apologetic smile, he opened the buttons on his suit jacket, before perching at the foot of the bed. "Katerina is gone, Caroline" he said softly, but clearly, as though it were a statement of fact that would not be disputed. The honesty in his voice did not go unnoticed, nor did the fact that Elijah was regarding Caroline carefully, hoping to gage her reaction.

It took Caroline longer that it should have to understand what he had said, but she would later blame it on the state of shock she found herself in. A cold feeling washed over her, as Caroline struggled to breathe. Her vision was becoming hazy, but it was as a result of her eyes filling with unshed tears.

"Caroline..." Elijah broached, tentatively.

"You're lying" Caroline mumbled, shaking her head. A few traitor tears rolled down her cheeks. "You're lying. Katherine's not dead" she said, more forcefully. Caroline flew out of the bed, making haste to leave, but in an instant Elijah was standing at the door, blocking her path.

"I assure you, I speak the truth" Elijah said, brows furrowed in dismay. "Truly, Katerina is gone" he said sadly.

"No, you're wrong" Caroline said angrily, her tone harsh. "I know Katherine's over five hundred years old. But she's afraid of Klaus, so Klaus must be older than her. But if only for a moment, you took Klaus down, so you're as old as him?" Caroline reasoned out loud. "How do I know you and Klaus aren't friends? That you haven't done something to Katherine? All part of some twisted game that really old vampires who have nothing better to do like to play?"

"I would never betray Katerina" Elijah said calmly. Caroline could hear the sincerity in his voice, but she couldn't help but scoff.

"I thought Katherine would never betray me, but here we are" Caroline said bitterly. "I need to find Katherine. I need to find out what the hell is going on, so please Elijah, just get the hell out of my way" she said seriously.

Elijah looked at her for a long moment, before giving a single nod and stepping out of the way. Caroline immediately dashed out the door. She ran down the stairs and threw, what she assumed to be the front door, wide open. The stream of sunlight nearly blinded her. But Caroline barely noticed it because of an all consuming pain, that brought her to her knees. She screamed, hoping to shield herself from the rays. She felt like she was burning alive, her skin set on fire. Then the door slammed shut, and Caroline scrambled, crawling up a few steps, as far away from the door as she could get. Elijah was at the door, looking down at her, with a stoic expression on his face.

"What's happening to me?" she asked, her eyes filling to the brim with tears once again, voice sounding weak even to her own ears.

"You're in transition" he supplied.

"What does that mean?" Caroline asked, trying in vein to not sound like such a frightened child. But there was one thing that scared her to the core, the unknown. Not knowing what was happening mean't that Caroline hadn't prepared for this. And she was quickly realising that there was a lot she didn't know.

Elijah frowned, as though her question unsettled him. "Katerina did not tell you?" he asked, sounding a bit perplexed.

"There's a lot I don't know about the supernatural world" Caroline confessed. "No more than the mere basics, I suppose."

Elijah sighed, taking a seat next to her on the step. He hesitated. "You died Caroline" he said warily, "with vampire blood in your system."

When she gave no other reaction, but a sharp intake of breath, he continued. "Being in transition means that you have a choice" Elijah explained, "whether you wish to stay dead, or to become a vampire."

There was a moment of strained silence before, "oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God" she said, voice panicked. Caroline's breathing became erratic as that information started to sink in. Then she mentally scolded herself for appearing so weak. She was not weak. Then she realised, "the sun..." she said, voice barely a whisper.

"If you choose to complete the transition and become a vampire, I will procure a daylight ring for you" Elijah said. After a frantic but curiouslook from Caroline, he explained, "a daylight ring will allow you to walk in the sunlight."

"Oh" was the only response Caroline could muster. She sat staring at nothingness for quite a while, in an almost catatonic state, until she noticed Elijah getting up from his place by her side.

"I am sure that are several questions you'd like to ask, and I am more than willing to answer all of them before my brother gets here. But perhaps, you should take a moment to gather your thoughts" Elijah offered politely.

Caroline nodded, giving him a grateful smile. "I could use a bath."

"This manor belonged to my siblings and I several centuries ago, it was Katerina's last place of residence, so please do make yourself at home. When you're ready, you may find me in the study" he said, before taking his leave.


	5. Chapter 5

It was a wonder how Caroline found her way back to her room, what she assumed to be Katherine's bedroom. There were a total of seven bedrooms, including the one she was staying in, which was at the end of the long hall on the second floor. Caroline had been using a great deal of strength to pause her incessant thoughts, and decided it was time to take a long warm bath and really think about things. The en-suite bathroom had been fully renovated, equipped with the latest technology to suit her needs, much to Caroline's liking. But these were human needs, and if what Elijah had told her was true, Caroline would no longer be in need of these necessities.

As she slipped out of her dress and underwear, placing her earrings and ring on the counter, Caroline sunk into the lukewarm water in the bathtub. Her body immediately relaxed, as she felt the numbness dissipate. She stared at the glossy tiles on the bathroom wall, and idly noted when silent tears started to stream down her face. At some point, her emotions overwhelmed her, and Caroline could no longer keep quiet. She didn't cry, she practically bawled, until there was no more tears, her throat was sore and she was heaving, gasping for breath. It could have been minutes or hours, until Caroline felt like herself again. She washed her hair clean, scrubbed her skin until it felt raw. Caroline finally felt like she snapped back to reality, no longer in a dream like state.

She took several deep breaths, trying to get a handle on her thoughts. The first, most relevant issue that needed to be dealt with, was that Caroline was in transition. She couldn't find it in herself to be angry that Katherine had fed her blood, because if Katherine hadn't, Caroline would be dead. But Caroline couldn't help but wonder if this was all part of some grand elaborate scheme that Katherine had planned all along. As long as she could remember, Caroline had been drinking vervain. Yet over the years, Katherine was still able to compel her. It didn't make sense. What else had Katherine compelled her to do, or say? Would all the memories come back? If so, when? Not knowing the truth, completely unsettled Caroline, and she was grateful that she was slowing remembering everything.

But why was Caroline remembering? Elijah had expected her to, if his question had been any indication. Was Caroline being released from Katherine's compulsion, because Caroline herself was becoming a vampire? And Caroline already knew that she would be completing the transition to become a vampire. She couldn't even think of her life ending now. She had big dreams of attending NYU and studying Literature and Journalism, she had planned to travel the world and actually make a difference somehow. She thought she'd fall in love, get married and have lots of babies. Grow old. Work on her memoir. Caroline was looking forward to so much, and in such a short space of time everything had changed. But it didn't make any sense thinking about the what ifs and the could have beens. Caroline would make best of the situation she was in.

But how was she ever going to tell her dad and Steven, that she was choosing to become a vampire? Would they be happy that at least Caroline was still alive? Or would they rather she be dead, than to turn into a vampire? Or maybe Caroline could hide the truth from them somehow. She could make an excuse that she already moved into her apartment for her stay at NYU. She could say that there was a summer internship or a program she got accepted to do. Caroline could lie to them, but she was a terrible liar. Everyone knew that. How was Caroline supposed to do this whole becoming a vampire thing, without Katherine there to guide her and help her along the way?

If Katherine really was dead, and Caroline's heart clenched painfully at that possibility, then the only vampire Caroline could remotely trust to tell her the truth was Elijah. He seemed other worldly, regal somehow, but charming and noble. He seemed genuinely concerned about her feelings and reactions, and Caroline couldn't deny her strong inclination to trust him. Or maybe it was because she didn't have much of a choice. Elijah was the only one here. Caroline would have to remember to ask him why he was so willing to help her.

Then there was Tyler, who had knowingly led her into a trap. Or did he? Tyler had disapproved of Klaus hurting her, but he didn't actually step in and do anything about it. Katherine had killed him. She had ripped his heart right out of his chest, before dropping it unceremoniously on the ground. Tyler's death had been so unnecessary, as though his life mean't nothing. He hadn't gotten a chance to hear Caroline's valedictorian speech. He hadn't gotten to spend the night in the guest bedroom that Caroline had redecorated, subconsciously with him in mind. Caroline hadn't gotten a chance to hear about his worldly travels, what he had been up to for the past two years, and why it was suddenly safe for him to come back. Why had Katherine found the need to kill him? There must have been a reason. And what was Tyler doing with Klaus and Stefan?

Caroline was answering her questions with more questions. Promising to stop feeling sorry for herself, and stop being such an emotional wreck, Caroline decided it was time to go downstairs and get some answers.

* * *

><p>"Hey" Caroline said softly, tentatively breaking the silence inside the study. She lingered on the threshold, before perching on the opposite armrest of the sofa Elijah was seated.<p>

"Hello" Elijah greeted her. Looking up from his book, he offered her an affectionate smile. "You look much better" he complimented kindly.

"I feel much better, thanks" she said timidly. "Urmm... I think this isn't Katherine's clothes though" she said, a bit uncertainly, motioning to the tight dark blue skinny jeans, black boots, and grey long sleeved knitted sweather.

"Ahh" Elijah said knowingly. "My sister Rebekah. I assure you she would not mind, she has far more clothes than she could possibly account for."

"Oh" Caroline said, sliding into the couch, beside him. "Where are your siblings? If you don't mind me asking" Caroline asked hesitantly, chewing on her bottom lip. "I saw seven bedrooms, six of which look like they haven't been lived in for some time."

"You've have the unfortunate displease of making an acquaintance with two of my siblings thus far" Elijah stated. "Sooner, rather than later, you would be acquainted with the other two, I'm sure."

"Stefan and Klaus?" Caroline guessed.

"Niklaus, and my sister Rebekah" Elijah corrected. "Stefan Salvatore has been a friend of their's for over a century."

Caroline frowned, then understanding dawned on her. "Rebekah's the blond haired woman who flashed infront of the car. She's the one who caused the accident" Caroline reasoned, playing with the ring on her finger, twisting it around.

"My sister is quite overly theatrical" Elijah said, chuckling amusedly. "Rebekah is the youngest alive. She was turned when she was your age" he said, by way of explanation.

"But Klaus, he can't be your brother" Caroline said, shaking her head. "I mean, he's more than just a vampire. He's something else, Elijah."

Elijah was looking at her with the oddest expression on his face. "You're quite perceptive aren't you?" he mumbled, but Caroline still caught it.

"What is he, Elijah?" Caroline asked curiously. "You already know, don't you?"

Elijah gave her an indulgent smile. "What do you think Niklaus is?" he asked, closing the book and putting in on the coffee table. Elijah angled his body in Caroline's direction, a clear indication that he was giving her his undivided attention.

"He's a vampire, like you" Caroline said, "but... he was warm, and I felt his heart beat strong. So he's part wolf too?" Caroline mused, "but if you're born with the werewolf gene, it can only get triggered once you kill someone. But you have to die to become a vampire. So wouldn't Klaus' werewolf nature have died, when he died, when he was turned into a vampire?" She hoped that Elijah would understand her convoluted reasoning.

"An accurate assessment in regular circumstances, but regular circumstances do not necessarily apply here" Elijah said, regarding her with pride, clearly pleased.

"What does that mean?" Caroline asked, confused.

"My siblings and I are not regular vampires, so to speak" Elijah informed her. Caroline looked at him expectantly, willing him to continue, which he did. "We are the Original family. The first vampires to have ever been created, over a thousand years ago, and it is from us all vampires can trace their bloodline. My brother Niklaus does not share a father with myself and our siblings. My mother's affair came to light, on the night we were turned, when Niklaus made his first kill, he turned into something more. He became what is known as the Hybrid. The Original Hybrid. Half werewolf, half vampire."

Caroline nodded, allowing the information to sink in. She tried her best to not feel intimidated being in the presence of an Original vampire. "Katherine stems from your bloodline, and so do I... which is why you're helping me" Caroline stated.

"On the contrary, Katerina belongs to Niklaus' bloodline, and technically, so do you" Elijah said. "Upon Katerina's absence, you are unfortunately without a sire. And as such, you are Niklaus' responsibility."

"Excuse me?" Caroline said incredulously, her voice a bit too loud, for the quiet conversation they were having. She tugged lightly on her earring before running her fingers through her hair. "So what are you going to do... just hand me over to him?" she asked worriedly. "He'll just kill me Elijah. He wanted Katherine, and I didn't tell him. And now Katherine's dead. He's going to kill me... if I'm lucky. If I'm unlucky, I'm pretty sure he'll just let Stefan Mr. torturing is my second nature Salvatore, have his way with me."

"Ripper of Monterey" Elijah said.

"What?"

"Stefan Salvatore is commonly known as the Ripper of Monterey" Elijah said, stifling a smile, "not Stefan Mr. torturing is my second nature Salvatore."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Whatever" she mumbled.

"And Niklaus had no intention of killing Katerina" Elijah offered. "He really did simply want to find her."

Caroline shot him a disbelieving look. "What did he want with her?" she asked, curiously.

"The same thing he'll want from you" Elijah said cryptically.

"What?" Caroline asked, perplexed. "What could he possibly want with me? I don't have a single thing to offer to him... I don't know anything."

"You know everything Caroline... you simply haven't remembered it all, quite yet" Elijah said knowingly.

Caroline shook her head. "I've been getting visions... memories, since Katherine and I met, up till my seventeen birthday. It just feels like she's been looking for me and when she finally found me, she really didn't know what to do with me. I mean, we became best friends but..." Caroline hesitated, looking for the right words. "I get this nagging feeling that Katherine wished she didn't want to me my friend... like her life would have been a whole lot easier if she hadn't found me."

"Katerina Petrova, or Katherine Pierce as she recently started calling herself, belongs to a long line of Petrova doppelgängers, of which ten have been in existence. One for every century. The first doppelgänger's blood was used to turn my siblings and I into vampires. The latest doppelgänger, can be found in Mystic Falls. She goes by the name of Elena Gilbert" Elijah explained, studying Caroline intently.

"I know her" Caroline said. "I mean, Elena and I used to be friends, when I lived there."

"Doppelgängers are presumed to be especially magical beings. They were created for a particular purpose. Every century a new doppelgänger would be born to carry on serving the purpose upon the previous doppelgängers death. However when Katerina was turned into a vampire..."

"She became immortal. She didn't die for the new doppelgänger to take up Petrova doppelgänger duty. So the following five doppelgängers, including Elena, were rendered useless" Caroline said, cutting him off, trying to make sense of things. "So why did Klaus want Katherine? I mean, instead of chasing after her, why didn't he just go for one of the other Petrova doppelgängers?"

Elijah smiled, seemingly pleased with her question, and Caroline took that as a cue to continue.

"But Klaus didn't want just any doppelgänger" Caroline filled in, as realisation dawned on her. "Katherine didn't pass on the doppelgänger duty, so the following doppelgängers probably don't even know their purpose right?" Caroline looked at Elijah curiously. "Since Tatia was the first doppelgänger created to serve that purpose, whatever that purpose is, and since her blood was used to create the first vampires... you think that it's connected. Whatever purpose the doppelgängers were created to serve, has something to do with you and your siblings."

Elijah smiled at her fondly, as if he were thoroughly enjoying their conversation. "It has recently been brought to my attention, that Tatia wasn't the first doppelgänger. The Petrova doppelgänger bloodline began precisely a thousand years before my siblings and I were turned. Which means that whatever their purpose is, has far more to do with just vampires" Elijah explained.

"But Klaus isn't just a vampire" Caroline mumbled.

Elijah's eyes lighted up. He chuckled, shaking his head. "You amaze me Miss Forbes... I assure you, it is quite a feat. No wonder Katerina is so taken with you."

"And yet you're just handing me over to Klaus" Caroline muttered despondently. "Are you sure Klaus won't just kill me?" Caroline asked, still hesitant.

"I am almost certain" Elijah answered honestly.

Caroline nodded, staring off into space, trying to not become overwhelmed with the onslaught of information she had just received. "After all these years, why didn't you just ask Katherine what was the purpose Petrova doppelgängers were created to serve?" Caroline mused. She twisted her ring around her finger.

Elijah unexpectedly caught her hand in his. He lifted her hand for a closer look, inspecting her ring for a moment, before placing her hand gently down.

"Have you decided?" Elijah asked politely.

Caroline snorted. "It's kind of you to pretend that I have a choice" Caroline muttered.

"You'll always have a choice Caroline. Though greater odds that your choice be taken from you at times" Elijah said cynically.

Caroline chuckled nervously. "So how does one complete transition?" she asked, disinterestedly, going to twist her ring around her finger again, but stopping herself just in time. She interlocked her fingers and rested her hands on her lap. "Am I supposed to kill somebody or something like that?" She tried to sound nonchalant, but she was sure that Elijah could hear her internally screaming. Caroline knew that vampires needed blood to survive. But she didn't want to go around killing people just because she had an excuse to. All her life, she wanted to become someone who would make a difference, make the world a better place, help people. She didn't want to become a monster. Just because she was going to become a vampire, didn't mean that she was crossing over to the dark side, and going to turn evil.

Elijah smiled, wickedly amused. He poured from a decanter, a thick red liquid of what Caroline now realised was blood, and offered it to her. "I've been given the task of ensuring you complete transition and be well rested, until my brother arrives" he said, motioning for her to drink.

Caroline lifted the glass to her lips, taking a deep breath and slowly sipped. She didn't realise she was starving. Ravenous. Instead of being repulsed like she expected to be, Caroline closed her eyes and revelled in the taste, idly wondering about the blood type and figuring out flavour. She felt the blood coursing through her veins, replenishing her. Caroline felt her mind becoming clearer, her body becoming stronger.

Everything that had happened since she had died in the car crash, flooded her mind, but Caroline did not become overwhelmed. It was as though all her thoughts were sorting itself out in her head, all her emotions heightened and categorised. She felt very much in control of herself, and suddenly everything that had been said, everything that Katherine had compelled her to forget over the years, all made sense.

But for one memory. The most important memory. Her body felt heavy, and slowly Caroline sank into the couch. Her arm dropped to her side... releasing the empty glass from her hand. It fell with a crash, and Caroline could hear the broken shards scattering on the ground.

"Niklaus is looking forward to seeing you again Caroline" she heard Elijah's voice sounding far off... as Caroline entered into a deep slumber.


	6. Chapter 6

**Don't get too close.**

**It's dark inside.**

**It's where my demons hide.**

**It's where my demons hide.**

_"You really have a perfect life, you know" Katherine commented idly, sifting through the photos Caroline laid out. "Here you are spending the day, making a scrapbook to document all your precious little memories" Katherine said almost wistfully, "without a single care in the world."_

_"Excuse me?" Caroline asked, confused by Katherine's sudden mood change. She looked up from stencilling patterns on the border of a coloured page, to regard Katherine intently._

_"I'm just saying... you've got everything you could ever dream of and so much more. All the guys want you. All the girls wish they could be you. You're everyone's favourite person" Katherine explained. "It must be so great to be wanted by so many" she said bitterly._

_"What the hell has gotten into you?" Caroline asked, a bit perplexed. She lifted a brow, curious. "You're acting like I haven't had to work my ass of, like every single day of my life, to survive high school" she said angrily._

_Katherine scoffed. "I'm not talking about high school and your petty human problems, sweet pea" Katherine said. "I've waited a long time for this, and I don't think I could have possibly found someone who enjoys being a mundane human being, as much as you do. It's a pity really."_

_"Katherine, what are you talking about? You're being more cryptic than usual, and it's kind of scaring me" Caroline said honestly._

_With a heavy sigh, Katherine looked at Caroline almost apologetically. "I've been searching for you for five hundred years Caroline, and when I finally found you a few years ago... I thought I'd finally be free. I thought... " Katherine stopped short, giving Caroline a sad smile. "I'm so sorry I found you... I'm so sorry I..." _

_Taking a deep calming breath, she caught Caroline in an unwavering gaze and her pupils dilated, effectively trapping Caroline as Katherine's compulsion took hold. "You're not just a pathetic little human. You're not mean't to live an ordinary human life Caroline. You are mean't for so much more. You're the most important piece to a puzzle that's been left unsolved for thousands of years. You were born to be a queen. No matter what happens, I want you to always remember who you are. Do not let him change you" Katherine said, her tone pleading. "Until then, you're going to have to forget this conversation" Katherine commanded._

Caroline woke up in a daze. Shaking her head to rid herself of her latest memory. She felt even more lost and confused than she had before she went to bed. Caroline's conversation with Elijah had gone well and she had been extremely pleased that Elijah had been so unexpectedly forthcoming with her. But now, Caroline felt more confused than she had when she woke up in transition. What had Katherine mean't when she said that Caroline was the most important piece to a puzzle that's been left unsolved for a really long time? What puzzle? And Caroline was sure that she wasn't a piece to it. Especially the most important piece. Caroline didn't want any part of this. Whatever the hell this was. And who the hell was _him_?

"Wouldn't we all like to know the answers to those rather poignant questions" a smooth accented masculine voice said softly. Caroline's head snapped up and her hazy and uncertain baby blue eyes met his piercing sea blue ones. His eyes were bluish greenish, with a depth Caroline felt like she could drown in if she looked too long. He was just as breathtakingly handsome as she remembered him, with his full raspberry coloured lips, his short curly light brown, nearly bronze coloured hair and low stubble, but for a satirical smirk plastered on his face. Sitting on an armchair beside her bed, with a sketchbook on his lap, a charcoal colouring pencil in his hand. He moved to put the sketchbook on the bedside table, and Caroline immediately scrambled off the bed, to get as far as she could away from him. She gasped as her back hit the solid wall, and it took her longer than it should have to realise that she had unintentionally used her vampire speed to move to the other side of the room, in less than a second. Klaus was still sitting on the armchair, but now he was regarding her with renewed interest. He shook his head, as he chuckled amusedly.

Caroline frowned. Never taking her eyes off him, she idly noted that she wasn't in the same bedroom as the one she had been assigned to. In fact, Caroline wasn't even in the same house. There was a lived in feel to the surroundings, though rather impersonal. The room was well lit, despite it being dark outside. She must have been asleep for only a few hours, but how did she get here? Paying keen attention, Caroline was suddenly overwhelmed by unfamiliar sounds. They seemed to be coming from every where all at once, and she had a hard time placing them. There were the distinct sounds of cars driving by. The ding of a bell as a door was being opened, and Caroline could hear the door swinging closed, as people entered? There were the sounds of footsteps. More than one pair, coming closer. Caroline could see them holding hands as they made their way inside the room. A young woman and a little girl. They seemed to be in a daze, their eyes vacant, as they just stood there waiting. There was a loud beating sound. Two sounds, drumming in Caroline's ears. Their heartbeats. Their blood pumping. She could hear their blood flowing through their veins. Caroline unconsciously moved closer, her body tense in anticipation as she inhaled their scent. The scent of the little girl's blood was so pure, untainted. It assaulted her senses, and in an instant, Caroline was ravenous.

A infinitesimal movement of Klaus' hand captured Caroline's attention, and it was then she realised that she had looked away from him. She had a moment of clarity, but so entirely honed in to satiating her hunger, Caroline immediately picked up on the sound of his heart beating. Faster than a human's. She could practically feel the heat radiating off his body. She inhaled his intoxicating earthy yet spicy scent. In the blink of an eye, she was straddling him, her thighs on either side, as she was nestled comfortably on his lap, her hands grasping the collar of his leather jacket. Caroline's vampire features emerged. Klaus gave her a wicked smile, as he slowly lifted one hand to trace the spidery web of veins that appeared under her eyes. She closed her eyes and leant into his touch, purring contentedly. His thumb traced her bottom lip, and when her lips parted, he touched the tips of her fangs with his index finger. Until he moved his hand to grab a fist full of her hair, holding her in place. His other arm wrapped tightly around her waist, pulling her to him roughly.

Caroline could feel his length through his jeans, at the juncture of her thighs, and desire pooled in her stomach. She ground herself against him, but his hand grabbed her ass hard, holding her in place. She mewled, desperate for contact, looking up at him with pleading eyes, but Klaus granted her a small affectionate smile, as if he were pleased with her. He tilted his head to the side, in offering, and without a moment's hesitation, Caroline sunk her fangs into the delicate flesh of his neck. She gave a strangled moan as his blood touched her tongue. It was thick and warm, and though this was only the second time she had drank blood, Caroline knew that Klaus' blood was the best thing she would ever taste. The blood Elijah had offered her to complete transition, paled in comparison to Klaus' blood. The blood of the little girl would be nothing compared to this. And as Klaus' blood coursed through Caroline's veins, she felt anew. He was stroking her hair softly, his face buried in her curls as he breathed in her scent. And their exchange felt so intimate. Her taking from him and him allowing her to take. She felt connected to Klaus, and she wanted to be connected to him in every way.

After a moment, when she had her fill, Klaus tugged gently on her hair. She lingered, not wanting to be parted from him. But when he tugged harder, Caroline let out a soft keening sound as she was forced to pull away, retracting her fangs and licking the last few drops of blood from on his neck. She looked up at him hesitantly, as she was slowly beginning to come back to her senses. Caroline glanced at the two humans standing just a few feet away. They seemed completely unfazed by what had just happened, their eyes glossed over as if in a trance like state. It was then Caroline realised that they had been compelled. Did Klaus know Caroline would have been hungry? Was the young woman and little girl mean't to be Caroline's meal? With her hunger sated, no longer consumed by blood lust, Caroline felt shame, guilt and disappointment starting to wash over her. She released her vice like grip on his jacket and tried to pull away, as traitor tears spilled down her face, but Klaus' hold on her was steadfast.

He frowned, his brows puckered in dismay, regarding her as one would a wounded bird, before finally releasing her. Caroline was on her feet in an instant, but instead of flashing over to the far corner of the room again, she perched on the bed. She lifted a shaky hand to her mouth to stifle her sobs. Her lips were wet, and when she looked at her hands, she saw that they were covered in blood. Klaus' blood. She took a few unnecessary deep breaths, trying to clear her head and get her emotions under control, as the reality of what she had just done dawned upon her. Caroline had fed from Klaus. She had behaved irrationally, allowing her hunger and desire to control her. And he looked entirely too pleased about it.

"That will be all" Klaus said idly, waving them away. The woman and little girl turned on their heel, almost robotically, and left the room, closing the door behind them.

Caroline breathed a sigh of relief. "What do you want from me?" she muttered despondently. Caroline looked at him cautiously. As the seconds ticked by, Caroline became increasingly aware of Klaus' dangerous aura. Even as a vampire, Caroline was still weak compared to him. Klaus could have forced her to drink from those humans and there would have been nothing she could have done about it, but he had allowed her to feed from him instead. Klaus could have drained them dry right infront of her, and there was nothing Caroline could have done to stop him.

"I'm not quite sure what you have to offer me, sweetheart" Klaus said, looking at her curiously. Putting his elbows on his knees, Klaus rested his chin on his interlocked fingers.

Caroline frowned. "What does that mean?" she asked, perplexed. She scrubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, wiping her tears away.

"Elijah said..."

"Either my big brother is a master manipulator who's managed to outfox even me, or Katerina has managed to fool him" Klaus said, "once again." He shrugged.

"But Elijah and Katherine were friends. Elijah said..." Caroline insisted. Because of what Elijah had said, Caroline was finally able to make sense of the situation she was in. Knowing that Elijah had lied to her, either intentionally or unintentionally, did not bode well.

Klaus brushed her off with the wave of a hand. "You have known Katerina, for all of ten years, perhaps?" Klaus mused. "I've known her for over five hundred years Caroline... I can assure you that Katerina has no friends. The people in her life, all serve a fundamental purpose to help achieve her every whim and fancy" he said knowingly.

Caroline sniffed. "Katherine would never hurt me. She knew how much I enjoyed being a human. She would never do this to me" Caroline said, frustratedly. She could feel her eyes pool with tears, and she scrubbed at her eyes again, willing them away. Why was she such an emotional wreck? She needed to get a handle on her emotions.

"Come now, love" Klaus said condescendingly, talking to her as if she were a young child, "you don't honestly believe that, do you? After all those forgotten memories you've been remembering... Katerina has clearly never shared the doppelgänger's secret with you. If Elijah had had the good sense to take a little peek into that pretty little head of yours, he would have figured that out for himself."

"What did you say?" Caroline mumbled. As understanding dawned on her, "you looked inside my head?" she practically shrieked, surprised by his capability and outraged at his audacity. "How dare you intrude into my innermost thoughts?" she asked angrily.

Klaus narrowed his eyes. "Would you rather I compelled you?" He smiled maliciously. "I can do whatever the hell I want to do sweetheart" he said, leaning back in his seat. His voice low, but deadly, menacing. "I'm the Original Hybrid" he stated, with an uncanny air of superiority. "Perhaps you're unaware of the supernatural hierarchy, so allow me to explain it to you... I'm at the top of the food chain, love."

Caroline had to resist the urge to shudder at the not so subtle implication that Klaus was the most powerful supernatural creature in existence who could do whatever he wanted to, without being held accountable. After she found her voice, "where's Elijah?" Caroline asked softly.

Klaus gave her a secret smile. "Elijah's taking a time out, so to speak. Paying penance for hiding Katerina from me" he said nonchalantly.

"You're punishing your brother for being outsmarted by Katherine?" Caroline asked incredulously.

Klaus lifted a brow. "Is that a chink in your armour I see?" Klaus asked playfully. "Are you finally beginning to doubt Katerina's intentions?" He chuckled. "So much for your unwavering loyalty..."

Klaus' mood swings were giving Caroline whiplash. "Katherine was my friend, but I'm not fool enough to ignore the fact that I might not have been hers" Caroline said decidedly. Shaking her head, "I just want to know the truth, Klaus. I want to know what part I have to play in whatever game this is. I want to know why she sacrificed my life," Caroline said a bit sadly.

Klaus looked at her with the oddest expression. "Your life isn't over, Caroline" he commented.

"Does that mean you're not going to kill me?" she asked hopefully.

"If I wanted you dead, you would already be dead. As it is, I see no reason to kill you just yet. I find your company quite refreshing," he said, getting to his feet. Klaus extended his arm, motioning for her to go first.

Caroline rolled her eyes, before getting up and making her way out of the room. "Sorry I can't say the same. I've nothing but fond memories of you bashing my head in, tempting me to kill two innocent humans and tricking me into drinking your blood" Caroline said sardonically.

Klaus chuckled. His eyes lit up, apparently pleasantly surprised by her retort. As she passed him, Klaus put a hand on the small of her back and followed closely. "There's a reason why the Petrova doppelgängers have spent millenniums looking for you Caroline and I have every intention to finding out what that reason is" he said honestly. "Until then, I'm not going to let you go, sweetheart" he said.

A shiver ran down Caroline's spine, at his words that sounded very much like a promise.


	7. Chapter 7

When Klaus had sent her off with Rebekah, Caroline expected the Original to lock her away in a gilded cage. When Caroline had asked where they were going, and Rebekah answered with a 'sit down and shut up' Caroline honestly thought Rebekah was going to lock her away in a dark dungeon and throw away the key. Caroline hated not knowing. She hated having this nagging feeling that she was no longer in control of her own destiny. So Caroline did the only thing she could do... she quelled her curiosity. She spent her time planning how to take back control over her own life. She sat there quietly, enduring hours of dead silence, tension permeating the air, trapped in a car with Rebekah, and Caroline plotted how to escape her fate. This was the same Rebekah who caused the accident that killed Caroline. For all intents and purposes, if Caroline was looking for someone to blame, she could blame Rebekah for her predicament. These people weren't her friends. Klaus had portrayed Katherine to be a notorious schemer, but wasn't he the same? Caroline couldn't trust any of them. Not Klaus. Not Rebekah. Not Stefan. Not Elijah. Not Katherine. Caroline could only trust herself, and the faster she got away from all of them, the better chance she had at figuring out the truth for herself and learning how to live her new life as a vampire.

Being a vampire, didn't mean the end of the world. Caroline would make her dad and Steven accept her. She would go to NYU and do all the things she wanted to do. Caroline would learn to control the blood lust, and she wouldn't kill anyone. Sure she would have to adapt, but all her plans and life goals didn't have to change fundamentally. A part of Caroline knew that she was being naive. She remembered how hard it was to control her hunger in the midst of two healthy humans. It was as though their blood called to her, and in that moment, there was nothing but an insatiable need to satisfy her hunger. But that woman and the little girl had lives of their own, with a bright future ahead of them. They had families and friends, who would mourn them if they were killed. They were so much more than just food. People were people. Maybe vampires were just a different species, but that didn't make vampires better than humans. Vampires didn't have a right to take what humans unwillingly gave. But Caroline needed their blood to survive. It was the only way. She would have to learn how to compel humans, find a way to take away their pain, and fed from them, without killing them. She would not let the hunger consume her. Caroline would not allow herself to turn into a monster. Though she was no longer human, she still had her humanity.

Caroline fell asleep at some point during the day, and when she woke up it was night time again. Rebekah was still studiously ignoring her, eyes firmly on the road ahead. She was about to ask the Original where they were going again, but Rebekah pulled up infront of a ritzy hotel, all flashing lights and loud jazz music, from a live band Caroline could see in the foyer. Without a single word, Rebekah got out of the car and threw the keys to an awaiting valet, who greeted her with a 'good evening miss Mikaelson, please enjoy your stay.' Caroline made haste to follow Rebekah inside the hotel, idly noticing that both sides of the street were lined with hotels, cinemas, an opera house, and various casinos and gentleman's clubs. It didn't take her long to realise that they were in Las Vegas.

"We're in Vegas?" Caroline squealed in delight, taking in the sheer extravagance of everything around her, as she followed Rebekah inside the elevator.

The Original gave an exasperated sigh. "What part of shut up do you not understand?" she asked, irritation colouring her tone.

Caroline was taken aback by Rebekah's animosity. They weren't friends. They didn't know each other at all, which is exactly why Rebekah had no reason to take such an immediate dislike to her. Caroline frowned. "I've never been to Las Vegas before. I mean, I lived half my life in a small down, and the other half in the city. I've never really been any where else... this is kind of exciting for me" Caroline explained hesitantly, hoping Rebekah would understand.

She didn't see Rebekah make a single move, until Caroline was slammed against the elevator wall, with Rebekah's hand wrapped firmly around her neck. If Caroline was still a human, she would be struggling for breath. But as it is, Rebekah's action simply garnered Caroline's undivided attention. Rebekah studied her for a moment, trapping Caroline in a feral gaze.

"We are not friends" Rebekah said. "The second you cease to be of use to my brother, you're dead" she stated matter of factly.

"I thought we've already established that I'm of no use to him" Caroline couldn't stop herself from saying. Ignoring Rebekah's narrowed eyes, "I don't know anything" she said honestly, "I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time." Caroline shrugged.

"You're a fool if you really think that" Rebekah muttered, releasing Caroline from her vice like grip. "You play an important role in this... we all do."

"I don't see why that even matters any more..." Caroline said, shaking her head. "Now that Katherine's dead" she mumbled, dejectedly. "Shouldn't Elena Gilbert be the new source of contention?" Caroline asked. It was becoming increasingly frustrating that everyone seemed to think she served a purpose, but not knowing what that purpose was. Since Katherine had died, then shouldn't they turn to the latest doppelgänger and find out what the hell was going on? Caroline sure as hell wanted to.

Rebekah gave Caroline a secret smile, but the elevator doors dinged open. Before Caroline could ask anything further, Rebekah was already making her way inside.

"Bekah" a warm voice greeted, before a man, whom Caroline recognised to be Stefan, came into view. He wrapped his arms around Rebekah's waist and giving her a kiss on her lips. "I've miss you babe" he said, smiling at her affectionately. Rebekah giggled, putting her arms around his neck. "Come on... let's get a bite to eat. I'm starving" he said, pulling her back towards the elevator. At the mention of getting something to eat, Caroline realised that she was hungry again. She wondered how often vampires needed to drink blood to be satisfied. Katherine used to eat human food too, and drink lots of alcohol. Did that provide any sort of nourishment for vampires? It dawned on Caroline that she no longer had anyone she could trust to answer her basic questions.

"Stef" Rebekah said, hesitating. "Nik said..."

"Oh, hello... baby vamp" Stefan said, cutting Rebekah off, noticing Caroline standing at the threshold of what must have been the presidential suite. It was about twice the size of Caroline's apartment in Manhattan. It screamed lavish, from the white plush carpet to the large crystal chandelier that hung from the high ceiling, in the middle of the foyer, to the glass helical stairwell. Stefan lifted a brow, curious, before exchanging a look with Rebekah.

"I'm not supposed to..." Rebekah said.

Stefan shook his head at her, silencing Rebekah again. "You're Caroline... Forbes, right? Tyler's girl? Katherine's pet?" he said in recognition.

Caroline simply nodded, her heart clenching at the mention of being Tyler's girl. Even if Tyler tricked her. Even if Tyler was friends with Stefan and Klaus. It would still have been much better having him here, than being all alone. But Tyler wasn't here. He was dead. Killed by Katherine.

Caroline sighed.

Stefan gave her a wicked smile. "Your room is upstairs. The second door on the right. Get dressed... elegantly casual. Nik will collect you at ten. Don't be late" he commanded sternly.

"Nik?" Caroline asked confused.

"Klaus" Stefan said, steering Rebekah towards the elevator again. Caroline stepped out of their way. "Oh and Caroline" Stefan called.

"Yes?" Caroline asked, frowning.

"You're a smart girl. You know better than to try to escape right?" Stefan said in a tone that implied that if she tried to escape, there would be unpleasant consequences.

* * *

><p>After Rebekah and Stefan left, Caroline gave herself a tour of the place she would be staying at for an indefinite period, with Klaus and Rebekah and the Ripper of Monterey, silently hoping that Elijah would show up at some point. The suite was even bigger than Caroline anticipated. There were seven bedrooms, six of which were locked. Her bedroom was massive with a king sized bed, sitting in the middle of the room, a flat screen TV on the wall, and a make shift living area inside the bedroom. There was also an en-suite bath. Looking at the time, she realised she had an hour to get dressed. Caroline decided to take a long warm bath, soaking in the tub, before she chose a knee length, long sleeved, form fitting, dark grey metallic dress that highlighted her curves, over black skimpy lingerie. It was surprisingly the most modest piece in the wardrobe, yet the most indecent thing she ever wore. She looked good, but she felt like a hoochie, dressing up for Klaus. Maybe she'd be able to blend into the crowd and make a quick escape. Highly unlikely, but she couldn't help but be hopeful. She had intentions of jumping off the terrace, despite the thirty one floor drop, as well as a strong inclination to crawl her way out through the laundry chute. And she might have followed through on her plans, despite Stefan's warning, if it wasn't for the hybrids who seemed to be every where. None of them would say a single word to her, but she could tell that they were keeping a keen eye on her. So she had retreated to her bedroom, getting ready for her date. Was it a date? It sure sounded that way when Stefan said 'Nik will collect you at ten.'<p>

Caroline shivered at the implication. She was a vampire, but she was still a lady. Constantly referring to her as Katherine's pet didn't bode well. Just because Klaus was apparently king of the vampires, didn't mean that she'd allow him to have his way with her. She still couldn't figure out why Klaus had let her drink his blood, straight from his carotid artery. Was it normal for vampires to feed from vampires? But Klaus wasn't a vampire. He was a hybrid. An Original hybrid. Despite there being a few Original vampires, there was only one Original hybrid. And Klaus had let her have her fill of his blood. That didn't seem like something he just let anyone do, if anyone at all. Caroline was putting on a pair of dark metallic strappy high heels, when there was a knock on the door. Fastening the straps, she hobbled over to the door, trying to fit her feet into the most uncomfortable pair of shoes she'd ever worn. With a light tussle of her natural curls, she opened the door.

There he stood, looking like the master of the universe, dressed in a dark grey vest over a white shirt. Dark grey dress pants and black leather shoes. He had rolled the sleeves up until his elbow, and a couple buttons at the top were unbuttoned, showing off a plethora of beads and charms hanging from necklaces around his neck. A distinct dark blue stone caught Caroline's eye. She unconsciously played with the ring on her finger. "Nice necklace" she complimented, before she realised that he wouldn't know which necklace she was referring to.

Klaus merely smirked in reply. Picking up her hand in his, he placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles, his lips brushing her ring. He let go of her hand and reached into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone. "I thought it best if you'd call your father and let him know that you're safe" Klaus said, handing his phone over to her.

Caroline frowned, accepting it. It wasn't as though she had forgotten about her dad and Steven. In fact, she had thought about them over the past two days, more than she had in her entire life. It was just that, Caroline felt like she was in an alternate universe where time stood still. Thinking about it now though, Caroline realised that she had no idea what happened at her graduation party, and what state her apartment had been in when Bill finally got home the next day. Plus, her father hadn't heard from her since after the graduation ceremony so he must be worried sick, wondering where she had gone. She quickly dialled his number and breathed a sigh of relief when he answered on the second ring. "Hey daddy..." Caroline began, and she was immediately cut off by the worried ramblings of a usually reserved man.

"I'm fine daddy..." she jumped in as soon as he took a moment to breathe. "I decided to take a last minute trip with Kat" she lied, cringing at the use of her dead best friend as an excuse.

"No, no, Tyler's here too" Caroline placated. "No, they're getting along just fine. They're taking me on a summer road trip as a graduation present, before I head off to college" she hastily explained.

"Well it was sort of a surprise" Caroline chuckled nervously. "One minute I thought we were going for beers, the next we're hitting the free way" she said, trying hard to sound convincing.

"Which is why I'm calling daddy. I know I should have called sooner, but we've finally made a stop" Caroline defended against Bill's accusation that she was being reckless and irresponsible, and he didn't want Katherine and Tyler to influence her negatively. Caroline's heart clenched painfully, and tears filled Caroline's eyes, knowing that they couldn't. Wouldn't, because they were both dead.

She had almost forgotten Klaus standing there. He was casually leaning against the silver metal railing, looking out below, giving her some semblance of privacy. "Daddy I have to go" she muttered, ending the call, completely ignoring her father's question of where she was. She would have had to lie again, because Bill would never approve of his seventeen year old daughter being in Las Vegas.

She ran her hand over her make up free face, before taking a deep breath. "Here" she said, giving him back the phone.

"You're a terrible liar sweetheart" Klaus commented, offering his arm.

Caroline shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm sorely out of practise" she answered honestly, taking his proffered arm. Why was Klaus being so nice? His gentleman act was a bit unnerving. Reminding her to call her father was considerate enough, but there was no way she would swayed by his smooth charm.

This was the Klaus who had chased Katherine for over five hundred years, with the intention of locking her away. Klaus had bashed Caroline's head in, when she refused to tell him where Katherine was. Though Elijah had defended him, saying that Klaus was basically frustrated, simply just wanted to find Katherine. Caroline realised that she didn't really know anything else about Klaus. Perhaps his reputation preceded him. Maybe he wasn't horrible at all. But Klaus had given Elijah a time out, whatever that mean't. Rebekah, aka, the Original bitch was his sister. And Klaus was best friends with a Ripper. But Klaus had also turned Tyler into a hybrid, giving Tyler control over his nature. Tyler had been confident enough to be back in Caroline's life, and maybe she would have convinced him to stay. Tyler's control was attributed to Klaus' kindness. If it wasn't for Katherine killing Tyler, Caroline would have gotten him back for good. But why had Klaus turned Tyler into a hybrid? Why had Klaus turned all these werewolves into just like him? There must have been an ulterior motive. Caroline usually gave people the benefit of the doubt, but there was something about Klaus, she just couldn't trust. Klaus had described himself as being at the top of the food chain, and Caroline had a good feeling that he enjoying being the most powerful creature in the world. Didn't Power corrupt? Absolute power corrupted absolutely.

"Well then, I suggest you start practising" he recommended.


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm the drug in your veins.**

**Just fight through the pain.**

**I'm what you need,**

**what you need,**

**what you need.**

Klaus decided to take her to 'The Ritz', which was downstairs in a rather secluded area at the back of the compound. At first, Caroline thought it was a secret gentleman's club, especially when the maître d', a woman dressed in a short tight black dress, black stockings and sky high heels, ruby red lipstick and her hair up in a tight bun, showed them to their seats. Taking their seats, a waitress approached and Klaus immediately ordered a bottle of their best red wine. She was dressed similar to the hostess. Caroline frowned as the woman scampered away, seemingly eager to please. It only took her a few seconds to realise that all eyes were on her, or rather Klaus. The heaviness that Caroline felt upon entering, was the weight of the curious glances they were throwing her way. Whilst others looked at Klaus with reverence, awed to be in his presence. There was something about the charged atmosphere that Caroline should have noticed sooner. Despite the restaurant being full to capacity, there was only one heart beating, Klaus'. Klaus had brought her to a vampire club. Caroline arched a brow curiously, but didn't say a word. She had dozens of questions that had been percolating in her mind since she transitioned into being a vampire. But it was hard enough trying not to be intimidated in the presence of Klaus. Especially now, when everyone clearly knew who he was. Asking Klaus questions would give him a reason to look down on her, and Caroline didn't want that. She also knew that everyone else would be able to hear her clearly, and she didn't want to come across as the dumb blonde vampire. So Caroline opted for idle conversation instead.

The waitress returned with their bottle of wine and Klaus waved her off. "I've never had red wine" Caroline said, taking a sip as soon as Klaus poured her a glass.

Klaus smirked. "Cabernet Sauvignon is one of my favourite wines" Klaus said, swirling the wine around in his glass, before taking a sip. He held in his mouth for quite a while before swallowing. "It will go well with our dinner."

"What's for dinner?" Caroline asked, taking another tentative sip. This time she copied Klaus' movement, and realised that the wine tasted much better this way.

Instead of answering, "you must be starving" Klaus commented, regarding her curiously.

Caroline shrugged. "Well I haven't fed since yesterday..." she said, by way of explanation.

"And yet, here you are, in perfect control of yourself" he said. But it sounded more like a question. As though, he didn't expect her to be in control.

"Well it's not like I'm in the way of temptation" Caroline said, shaking her head. She looked around the restaurant again. Most of the vampires were no longer staring, but they weren't as engaged in their conversations as they previously were. All of them, seemed to be waiting for something, as they sipped on various types of alcohol. None of them were eating actual food. Caroline turned her attention back to Klaus who was regarding her with an amused expression on his face. Caroline blushed, the memory of her dry humping him and then sinking her fangs into his neck, being the single most embarrassing thing she'd ever done in her short life.

"The concept of temptation means something entirely different when you become a vampire Caroline," Klaus said looking at her intently. After a curious look from her, he expounded, "what you once considered temptation, is now merely giving in to your true vampire nature."

Caroline frowned, but before she could ask him what that mean't, a distinct sound caught Caroline's full attention. Followed by a plethora of scents. Her head snapped up and turned in the direction of where it was coming from. She idly noted that Klaus' gaze was still on her, as if studying her movements. Caroline discerned the panic rising, but she was glued to her seat, as humans entered in an orderly fashion. Each one standing infront of each vampire, offering up their wrist in an almost robotic fashion. Caroline looked on in horror as vampires sank their teeth into the compelled humans, some accepting proffered wrists, others brutally tearing into necks. Caroline could already decide which humans would walk away, and which would be killed due to unadulterated savagery.

"My king" a man's voice came from near Caroline, startling her. She turned around to see a short, fat, middle aged man, dressed to the nines, addressing Klaus with utmost respect and reverence. He was human, and Caroline could bet that he was the owner of this establishment. There were four beautiful women standing behind him.

Klaus pried his eyes away from Caroline unwillingly, regarding the man disinterestedly. The man seemed to shrink under Klaus' gaze. He was practically shaking, and Caroline was sure she could sense his fear from a mile away. "I offer these three beauties to my king... and your companion" he said hesitantly glancing at Caroline, "as a reminder of our..."

Klaus waved a hand, effectively cutting off the man, brushing away whatever he was going to say. For a plump guy, he sure moved swiftly. Practically catapulting himself through to the back of the restaurant, trying to get as far away as he could, leaving the girls behind. The girls stood there, unmoving, but Caroline saw the tears start to trickle down one of the girl's cheeks. They were obviously terrified. The humans weren't compelled to not be afraid, they were simply compelled to not move or make a sound. Seeing their fear, was almost enough to bring Caroline out of the blood lust haze she had been in. The fresh smell of blood was permeating the air, and Caroline had an almost irresistible urge to give in. Her gums were aching and her fangs had shot out long ago, but Caroline kept her mouth firmly shut. These girls all looked like they were around her age. They had their whole lives ahead of them. They had families and friends and loved ones.

"Caroline, love, you need to feed" Klaus said, his voice taking on a seductive lilt. He bit into the wrist of the girl nearest him, and offered it up to Caroline, across the table. Caroline stared at the blood trickling down the girl's wrist on to the pristine white table cloth, staining it.

"I can't drink from them" Caroline mumbled, tears prickling her eyes. She made haste to leave, but in an instant Klaus was behind her, his hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her back down into her seat.

"Why ever not?" he whispered, brushing her ear with his lips. "You're starving sweetheart... you need to feed" he said, concern evident in his voice. And there was something else. Klaus sounded almost hopeful. A wicked amusement shown in his eyes, when she turned her head to look at him. His face was mere inches away from hers.

"Why are you doing this?" Caroline asked softly. Lips quivering as tears streamed down her face. She was so hungry... she needed to get away. "Please Klaus" she pleaded, "I don't want to be a monster." And her voice sounded so weak, as if she were begging. But Caroline didn't care. If she had to beg to save their lives then that's what she would do. There was nothing weak about doing the right thing, her father always said.

Klaus' eyes softened infinitesimally. "You are a monster, Caroline" he said, peppering kisses along her jaw. "A beautiful monster."

"I don't want to be a monster" she said again, shaking her head, her body heaving as she gasped for breath. But that only made things worse. The girl's blood called to her. The web of spidery veins undulating under Caroline's eyes. Caroline's whole body wound tighter than a spring. She had an insatiable urge to feed, but it was the fear of not being able to stop that was holding her back.

Klaus sighed, completely dejected. He looked, dare she say, almost disappointed? "I'm going to give you two choices sweetheart" he said seriously, pulling away from her and making his way back to his seat. He appeared to be completely oblivious to everything else that was happening all around them, but Caroline knew that he was paying attention to everything. Klaus poured himself another glass of wine, and made a show of taking another sip before setting the glass down. "You can either feed, or I will kill all of them."

Caroline lifted a hand to her mouth, trying to stifle her sobs, as what Klaus said started to sink in. She was wrong about him. Klaus didn't want to help her out of the goodness of his heart. He wanted to break her, take what little of her humanity was left. Never had Caroline felt more out of control, and she had been feeling extremely out of control over the last two days.

"So what will it be?" he asked, his eyes shining brightly at her trepidation.

"I'll feed" Caroline said, voice barely a whisper. She sniffed, before gently taking the girl's wrist into her hands.

Klaus smiled, leaning back. He steepled his fingers together, as he looked on interestedly.

Caroline racked her hazy brain for a way out. One life was better than three. But Caroline didn't want to take any life at all. She could feed this girl her blood, before killing her and then the girl would wake up with the choice of becoming a vampire. But Caroline doubted that Klaus would allow that. It would probably anger him and he would kill all three girls out of spite. The only option was for Caroline to feed and not kill the girl. Would Caroline be able to pull away? Did she have the strength to stop? She was already teetering on control and once Caroline had a taste, she knew she wouldn't be able to stop. This innocent girl's life was literally in Caroline's hands and Caroline was going to kill her.

"We don't have all day, love" Klaus commented.

Caroline hesitated before she closed her eyes, and sunk her fangs into the girl's wrist. As soon as the sweet blood flowed into Caroline's mouth, Caroline entered into a state of euphoria, relishing in the blood lust. She hadn't realised how weak she had become by not feeding for a whole day. As Caroline's body became replenished, there was nothing but the sound of the girl's pulse and the taste of her blood, flowing through Caroline's veins. She sensed Klaus' eyes still on her and Caroline had an strong inclination to please him. She remembered the taste of his blood, rich, thick and strong. She remembered what it felt like to feel Klaus' body against hers, her lips on his skin. The memory left her wanting... more. Caroline's grasp on the girl's arm got tighter, and Caroline idly noted that the girl's pulse was beginning to slow down.

* * *

><p>"Leave me alone!" Caroline screamed, tears streaming down her face, as she used her vampire speed to run as far away from him as she possibly could. But Klaus was right behind her, easily keeping up. She felt his hand on her arm, but she shrugged him off. Her body felt strong, but Caroline never felt more weak than she did in this moment. She had killed someone. Caroline was ashamed of what she did. Disappointed in herself. But beyond angry at Klaus, for giving her such a choice, which was really no choice at all. Caroline had to weigh the worth of one life versus three, and she didn't know who she hated more for it, herself or Klaus. The regret and anger were warring within her, tearing her apart.<p>

"Caroline..." he said, reaching for her arm again.

Again she pulled her arm away, but rounded on him. He stopped abruptly, avoiding slamming into her. "This is a really sick perversion..." she said, shaking her head. "Is this why you people are keeping me around? For your own twisted amusement?" she cried, brushing her eyes, with the back of her hand. But it was of no avail. Her tears didn't want to stop. "What are you trying to do? Turn me into a monster like you?" she asked angrily. Caroline scoffed. "I'll never be like you" she stated, matter of factly, before turning around and making her way to no where in particular. She just needed to get away from him.

But in an instant Klaus was standing infront of her, blocking her path. His brows were puckered in dismay. He looked uncomfortable, even slightly apologetic. "It was never my intention to upset you sweetheart" he said, and he sounded so sincere, that her heart clenched. Fresh tears streamed down her face. At the restaurant, Klaus was wickedly amused by the prospect of her draining that girl dry. He was revelling in Caroline's suffering. But now, Klaus seemed to be sharing Caroline's emotional turmoil. What game was he playing? She scoffed.

Caroline wasn't in the same league with these people. Klaus was over a thousand years old, and she had no hope. He was going to use her up and toss her aside when he was done with her. Like a shiny new toy once it was broken. Caroline didn't even know why he was allowing her to speak to him this way. Shouldn't she be dead already? She didn't treat him with respect or reverence like the others did. She didn't willingly do what he told her to. She was barely a functional vampire. Plus she didn't know why Katherine had turned her. Klaus had no reason to keep Caroline alive... so why was she still here? "You made me kill that girl" she stated sadly, sniffing.

"I gave you a choice" Klaus defended. When Caroline looked like she was about to protest, "she was just a human, Caroline. You're a vampire now, and vampires feed off humans to survive" he explained, hoping to placate her.

"Why do you even care?" she said, and her voice sounded so broken and weak even to her own ears.

He frowned. "Sweetheart..."

Shaking her head, she ran her fingers through her curls, tugging them lightly. "Do you even remember what it's like to be human?" Caroline asked, genuinely curious, her voice barely above a whisper. And Klaus seemed entirely taken aback by her question. "Because I do. I was just a human two days ago, Klaus. Katherine used to compel and I didn't even know. I don't know what the Petrova doppelgängers purpose is. I don't know why Katherine found me. I'm not an important piece to whatever puzzle this is Klaus. I'm not a queen. I'm just a girl and... and this wasn't how my life was supposed to be! I was supposed to go to college and study literature, journalism, art, photography. I was supposed to see the world..." she said, frustratedly. Caroline was so tired of crying.

"That's why you're here Caroline" Klaus said softly. "We're going to find out why Katerina found you."

"No" Caroline said, feeling a sudden surge of anger. "There's something more to this. You know why she found me! You're lying to me!" she shouted. Elijah had saved her from the car wreck. Elijah made sure Caroline transitioned into a vampire. And then she was given to Klaus like a piece of property. Rebekah and Stefan didn't hurt her, but they made sure Caroline wouldn't try to run away. Caroline was beginning to think that she did serve a purpose... an important enough purpose to be kept alive. And if anyone knew what reason Katherine found Caroline, then it would be Klaus, the supposedly most powerful being in the world. Maybe Klaus didn't trust his siblings or anyone really. But Caroline had a right to know what the hell was going on. "You either tell me what's really going on here" she said, threateningly. Klaus' eyes became steely, dark blue seemed to pierce right through her. But Caroline mustered up all her courage, "or I swear to God, I'll stake myself" she said resolutely.

Klaus' jaw clenched, and she could feel the anger radiating off him in waves. Caroline tensed, expecting him to hit her, slam her against the wall, or punish her in some way. When Klaus lifted his hand, Caroline flinched, but he only ran his fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes, and breathed in deeply. And when he opened his eyes again, Caroline swore she saw all his defences down, honesty and sincerity shone through.

But in an instant it was gone... his body tensed.

"Feisty little thing, isn't she?" a voice boomed from behind Klaus, filling the air.

"Kol" Klaus said in acknowledgement, throwing Caroline a warning glance, before turning around to face his brother.


End file.
